Linocut is a technique we might have all seen as kids in elementary schools, summer camps or hobby courses. It is similar to woodcut technique, but lino is used instead of wood. Lino for art carving is slightly different than the one used for flooring, it is softer and it is easier tu cut the surface. The picture is cut mirror reflected into lino and water based colours are used for fabric. For paper printing the oil based thick colours are used. The colour is spread with a brush, roller or a sponge.

Due to using different mediums of spreading the colour on the stamp the result is never the same. In comparison to silkscreen printing, which is very accurate, the linocut is always a little bit of roulette. Every print is different, even though there is one colour or more used, the result is always different. The most visible difference is when the brush is used for spreading the colour over the stamp. The brush strokes are very decorative in larger areas of print, they give it an extra feature, lights, shades, varying intensity. Everytime I put the stamp on a cloth I can expect unexpected.

I use soft lino that can be purchased at arts & craft stores, the one that is soft and easy to use. On the other hand it is not really good for tiny details. So I choose the pictures with larger areas so the brush stroke effect is enhanced.For T-shirt printing I usually use the Pébeo brand. Their colours are water based and resist regular washing.